Join the military to get rich and retire early?

Welcome to all the new readers who found this blog last week! The hits immediately doubled, and they’ve nearly doubled again!!

Today’s post actually starts over at Jacob Lund Fisker’s Early Retirement Extreme blog.  He says that ERE-infatuated teens have asked him about joining the U.S. military as a way of retiring in your 30s, so I wrote the post with them in mind.

While you’re over there, take a look at the rest of his blog and the first chapter of his book. Browse Jacob’s 21-day makeover (in the left-hand sidebar) and think about how it compares to military life. Take a few minutes out of your “fog of work” busyness and go through Jacob’s whole list.

No, you don’t have to move in with a roommate or get rid of your car or even ditch your cell phone if you don’t want to. Just keep an open mind and keep reading. But if you’ve been livin’ la vida military then you already know how to handle those situations, don’t you?

Take a fresh look at Jacob’s 21-day list and make the changes that work for you. Financial independence can happen in as little as five years, and even just half of that 21-day list will get you there in about a decade. If financial independence (and perhaps even early retirement) are truly your priorities then you won’t feel deprived: you’ll feel empowered.

Next post: “Join the military to retire early: the rest of the story”

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